Flying Surf, under the urgings of jockey Bridget Grylls, surges ahead of Magness in the final stages of the Rating 74 race over 1400m at Hawera on Friday of last week. Photo / Supplied
Flying Surf, co-bred and part-owned by two Hawke's Bay people, made a winning return in a 1400m race at Hawera last week and will now back up in a $30,000 Rating 74 event over 1600m on her home track at Awapuni Saturday.
The 6-year-old Niagara mare, raced by a group that includes Hastings-based Neville Robertson and well known Central Hawke's Bay thoroughbred breeder Sue Harty, chalked up her fourth success from 34 starts with a game performance in a Rating 74 race at Hawera.
The Mike Breslin-trained mare was caught three-wide for the entire race, with rider Bridget Grylls unable to slot in for cover. The mare swept up to challenge the leaders rounding the home turn and then had to produce great fighting qualities to gain a winning advantage.
The pacemaking Magness was kicking on strongly for rider Chris Dell and he and Flying Surf went neck and neck for the last 250m before the latter surged ahead close to the line for a long head victory.
It was the mare's first win since she took out a Rating 74 race over 1600m at Otaki in April last year and came as a pleasant surprise for trainer Breslin as he thought she would need the run, her first start since February 26.
Flying Surf is out of the Towkay mare Surf Patrol, who was also trained by Breslin and was the winner of seven races.
It is a great winning family that Harty has bred from for many years, with Flying Surf's grandam being the three-race winner Out On Bail and her great-grandam Repremand producing the 2003 Sydney Cup winner Honor Babe.
Two Hastings runners in Group One event
Hastings stables will have two runners in Saturday's most prestige domestic race, the Group One $245,000 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes.
The 1400m feature at Awapuni is one of only two Group One races for 2-year-olds on the New Zealand racing calendar, the other being the Sistema Stakes (1200m) which was run at Ellerslie three weeks ago.
The last Hastings-trained winner of the Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes was the John Bary-trained Recite in 2013.
Bary will be represented again in Saturday's race as he will saddle up the promising filly Best Seller while the other Hastings entrant is the inexperienced New Orleans Jazz.
Best Seller, whilst still a maiden, has had three starts against good company for two fourths and a last start second.
The Wrote filly finished fourth in the Group Two Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) at Trentham two starts back and then chased Saturday's race-rival Maven Belle home when second in the Group Two Matamata Breeders' Stakes (1200m) a month ago.
She has drawn well at barrier four and will be ridden by talented apprentice Joe Kamaruddin.
New Orleans Jazz goes into Saturday's race having had only one race start, resulting in a fifth over 1200m at Trentham a fortnight ago. He has drawn barrier five and will be ridden by Taiki Yanagida.
The Niagara gelding was not originally nominated for the Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes but his Hastings owner-breeder Chris Russell, after seeing that the race was light on numbers, decided to pay the $1437.50 late entry fee to get the horse into the field.
A final acceptance fee of $3880 was made for all 10 runners on Wednesday and their connections are assured of getting at least $3675 back.
The winning purse is $140,875 with $45,325 for second, $22,050 for third, $12,250 for fourth and $6150 for fifth. There will also be a payout of $3675 for all other runners who finish from sixth to 10th.
Although Saturday's Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes has only drawn a small field it is chock full of class.
The first three horses home in the Sistema Stakes at Ellerslie on March 13, Lickety Split, Dynastic and Maven Belle, are all entered along with three-race winner Wolverine and the impressive last start winner Waitak.
Baker eyeing sixth ATC Derby
The chances of New Zealand trainer Murray Baker posting a sixth success in Saturday's Group One AUS$2 million Australian Derby (2400m) became more of a reality at an unexpected venue last Monday.
With last Saturday's Rosehill meeting abandoned after only three races, the remaining seven events were transferred to Newcastle two days later and Baker's training partner Andrew Forsman, who is in charge of their Sydney-based runners, was more than satisfied with the performances of their top-flight contenders.
Derby prospect Regal Lion closed resolutely to finish runner-up in the Group Two Tulloch Stakes (1850m), in which stablemate White Noise was a respectable seventh, while Group One Sydney Cup (3200m) hope The Chosen One didn't have all favours when third in the Group One Tancred Stakes (2400m).
Baker first won the ATC Derby with Nom Du Leu in 2008 and has since added successes with Dundeel (2013), Mongolian Khan (2015), Jon Snow (2017) and Quick Thinker two years ago.
Baker was pleased with the performances of both of the stable's Derby aspirants.
"Regal Lion was strong and he just needs further and Andrew did say in his interview before the race that the distance would be too short for him," Baker said.
Regal Lion finished third in the Group One New Zealand Derby (2400m) before heading to Sydney while White Noise was seventh in that race and earned a pass mark from Baker when again finishing seventh in the Tulloch Stakes.
"He got in the wrong part of the track and did a bit of work down the back. He went around them and was three-wide," Baker said.
Regal Lion has drawn barrier 10 in Saturday's Australian Derby and has been backed into second favourite at $5 on fixed odds. He will be ridden by leading Sydney hoop James McDonald, who rode his first Australian Group One winner aboard the Baker-trained Dundeel.
White Noise has unfortunately drawn the extreme outside barrier in Saturday's Derby and will be ridden by Robbie Dolan.
The Chosen One finished second in the 2020 running of the Sydney Cup and sixth last year and his luckless Tancred performance showed he is in great form for another crack at next Saturday's AUS$2m race.
"The Chosen One was unlucky last Monday," Baker said.
"He wouldn't have beaten the winner but he did get held up."
The Chosen One finished 4-1/2 lengths behind Tancred Stakes winner Duais and Baker said he wouldn't beat that mare at the weights if she runs in the Sydney Cup, but added that his charge is very honest.
Filly has her connections in raptures
Adrian Clark may have found his next Jennifer Eccles.
The Waikato bloodstock agent bought the Group One New Zealand Oaks (2400m) winner and New Zealand 3-year-old Filly of the Year for just $5000 as a weanling, and he outlaid a similar amount for her heir apparent, Enraptured.
The 2-year-old Preferment filly, raced by a syndicate that includes Napier couple Brian and Lorraine Henneker and another Napier man, Tony White, won on debut over 1050m at Matamata on Wednesday, impressing trainers Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray.
Clark purchased Enraptured for $6000 out of Milan Park's Gavelhouse Plus weanling sale last year and Ritchie said the bloodstock agent has developed a knack for identifying equine athletes at the lower end of the market.
"He is becoming a marvel at identifying horses that aren't overly popular, paying next to nothing for them and getting incredible success on the racetrack," Ritchie said.
"John Bary, Lance O'Sullivan, Andrew Scott and myself are happy he is doing it because he is saving us the work from having to do it and he is extremely successful at it."
Clark also purchased the Group Two-placed filly Best Seller for just $12,000 as a yearling and the John Bary-trained daughter of Wrote will contest Saturday's Group One $245,000 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at Awapuni.
Ritchie has been impressed with Enraptured from early on and he is excited about her prospects in the spring as a 3-year-old.
"She is still growing and still has little muscular issues, but that will sort itself out when she turns 3. That will be even more exciting for the syndicate as a spring 3-year-old."
He has his sights on the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November with Enraptured, one race that eluded Jennifer Eccles in her classic season but one that she finished second in.
Enraptured is the sixth individual winner for her sire, four-time Group One winner Preferment, who stands at Brighthill Farm in the Waikato.
Another Group One test for Levante
Glamour mare Levante's racing season isn't over just yet with confirmation the high-class daughter of Proisir will be given the opportunity to add her record at the elite level in the Group One $220,000 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (1600m) at Te Rapa on April 16.
Trainer Ken Kelso, who prepares the 5-year-old with wife Bev, says the horse has returned from her Australian trip in good order and they are keen on a crack at the last domestic Group One race for the season.
"She's all good and we're looking to press on to the Breeders' Stakes. We were looking to get a trial into her, but I'm reluctant to run her on a synthetic track so she'll have to have an exhibition gallop somewhere," Kelso said.
Levante triumphed in the Group One Telegraph Sprint (1200m) at Trentham in January and in the Group One BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa before her maiden trip to Australia for a tilt at the Group One Newmarket Handicap (1200m).
It was a fact-finding venture to see how she measured up in top Australian company and she delivered a positive answer with a bold showing for fourth.
Levante's performance convinced connections to look forward to a return trip to Victoria later this year with the Group One Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) during the Melbourne spring carnival an attractive target.
There is also a $1m bonus on offer to the winner of the Empire Rose if they have previously been successful in one of 12 selected races for fillies and mares, one of them being the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes.